EASIER TO FIND THE 5.3L VORTEC ENGINES THEN 5.7 OR 6.0 AND THERE ALL ABOUT THE SAME PRICE WHAT BE A GOOD ENGINE CHOICE IVE BEEN LOOKING EVERYWHERE TO COMPARE ENGINE DISADVANTAGES AND ADVANTAGES THERE ALL GOOD ENGINES TO WORK ON.

I JUST WANTED TO PORT POLISH HEADS INSTALL CAM I ALSO HEARD UPGRADING TO 1.6 RR IS LIKE INSTALLING A BIGGER CAM ONE SIZE BIGGER AND HEADERS AND 3IN EXHUAST AND A CUSTOM TUNE CHIP

MY GOALS FOR THE BUILD
1. GET 260-300 REAR WHEEL HP. AND AROUND THE SAME TORQUE
2. GET DECENT MPG AROUND 20 OR SO I DO DRIVE IT OFTEN
3. IM NOT MAKING A RACE CAR JUST A GOOD ALROUND ENGINE
4. KEEP TBI SETUP I DONT WANT TO DEAL WITH REWIRING THE CAR
5. I DONT WANT IT TO HAVE A CHOPPY IDLE OR SOUND I LIKE A SMOOTH DEEP RUMBLE
6. AND HAVE GOOD THROTTLE RESPONSE
7 OCCASIONAL DRAG AND AUTOCROSS USE MOSTLY AS DAILY DRIVER

MY CAR SPECS
1. 89 CAMARO RS
2. TRANS IS REBUILT WITH SHIFT KIT
3. 3IN CAT AND 3IN CAT BACK SINGLE EXHUAST WITH FLOWMASTER
4. ITS A TBI 350. 350 TBI BORED OUT TO 49 MM. STOCK INJECTORS

 

Ditch the TBI idea. just not gonna work. I mean it can probably done but you'll have to get creative with it and buy an LS carb intake, a TBI adapter plate, and run your TBI on that, and then you'll have to figure out how to run the ignition system... The Carb intakes require a standalone spark management system and you'll have to make some sort of hybrid. Im not gonna say it cant be done but it's definitely the road less travelled by.

These newer engine come with excellent EFI systems already. If you get a truck engine, get a car intake so it will fit under the hood. My main motivation to do a Gen III/IV swap is to get rid of the carb for a decent EFI system. Every system out there for Gen I engines has an achilles' heel.

You dont like a nasty idle? You want a smooth deep rumble? That's the sound of a lazy, slow factory engine. If thats what you like you're in luck because that's what you're gonna get. Just bolt it to the car as is. If all you want 260-300hp you can do with with a 5.3 truck engine pretty easy. Those things are rated 295 fwhp from the factory. Throw an LS1 intake on there and you get your slow car idle and medium-ish fast car power with decent commuter car fuel economy. That is all assuming you snap out of the keeping the TBI idea.

Also, be aware that the 5.3 and 6.0 engines are Gen III/IV engines - like LS1's. The 5.7's are old school Gen I smallblocks like every other block from 1958-1992. They do have very good cylinder heads on them, though. The 5.7's will fit in your car just like the motor you take out of it, and if you get a special intake you can even run your TBI system on it.

If you run a Gen III/Gen IV setup like the 5.3 or 6.0 engines, you get a TON more power potential and MUCh better fuel economy and a MUCH more modern engine design that is truly world class. The old smallblock has gotten a bit long in the tooth by modern standards.

But if you gotta run an old smallblock, a truck 350 from 96-99 would be a good one to pick, and it will be the easiest of all the engines to put in your car.

The 5.3 and 6.0 engines are going to require new transmissions, new engine mounts, new computers, new radiator hoses, maybe new gauges, new wiring all throughout the car, new transmission crossmembers, new fuel pump, new starter, new everything really. Completely different engine design than the old shcool motors. The 96-99 5.7's are the path of least resistance here.

Whatever you do, do NOT get a 72-95 5.7 truck engine. They're garbage. 96-99 are the ones you want.

 

At the end of the day-the saying still stays-there ant any no replacement for displacement.

So get a crash donor 6.0 and rewire it into your car.

 

If all you want is 260-300 rwhp, get a 5.3, ls1 intake and ls6 cam. You'll be able to get all of that for under a grand. If you can get a 6.0, even better. 5.7s (ls1) are great, but much more expensive.

A stock ls1 will put down 300rwhp stock, as will a 6.0, but the 6.0 has the tall (and ugly) intake. The 5.3 will probably do 270-280 stock, but with a better intake and cam, will put down more than a stock ls1

 

Looks like another Day dreamer who just wants quick performance without dealing with any of the needed things to do in order to achieve his goals.

The 5.3 seems like the package for you, but I suggest to read up on other members swap threads and see whats involved into doing the swap. Dont just dive in to just have it sitting there due to lack of knowledge/funds.

 

What makes him a day dreamer? Every project starts somewhere, and trying to figure out what motor fits your needs is as good a start as any. Once he starts digging into what it takes to install an LS, maybe he'll decide that an SBC is a better decision, maybe he won't.

 

WOW A DAY DREAMER IS THAT WHAT I AM
1. FOR MY FUNDS I NEED NOT TO WORRY BECAUSE IM IN TH UNITED STATES NAVY FLEET MARINE FORCE CORPSMAN AND YOUR TAXES ARE PAYING FOR MY PROJECT IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT IVE BEEN IN OVER 7 YEARS AND BEEN IN IRAQ AND AFGANSTAN MULTIPLE TIMES I NEED TO TO WORRY ABOUT FUNDS

2.I ACTUALLY HAVE A 89 CAMARO RS AND I ACTUALLY SWAP A TBI 305 FOR A 350 TBI DUE TO BLOWN HEAD GASKET ON 305 IVE REBUILT THE 350 WITH A LITTLE HELP ALSO REBUILT THE TRANS CAUSE 3RD AND 2ND WAS COMPLETLY GONE BECAUSE I DO RESEARCH BUT I DONT CLAIM TO KNOW IT ALL AND I ACTUALLY DRIVE IT .. IT DOESTN SIT ANYWHERE

3.MY ACTUAL PLAN IS TO SWAP VORTEC HEADS BUT I DONT CLAIM TO KNOW IT ALL SO I ASK A QUESTION BASED ON WHAT I WANT

4.IVE PUT IN HARD WORK TO GET MY CAR TO WHERE IT IS KNOW THERES BEEN UPS AND DOWNS ANGER AND FRUSTRATION AND SAD AND HAPPNESS WHEN IT COMES TOGETHER LIKE A PUZZLE ON A TABLE

5.THINGS I DONT DO IS DAY DREAM HAVE A PROJECT CAR THAT SITS AND JUST READ MAGIZINES WISHING A PERFORMANCE COMBO WITH A STACK OF CASH JUST POPS UP ON MY DOOR

IF THAT MAKES ME A DREAMER THAN I GUESS IM JUST A DREAMER

 

THANK YOU IVE ALREADY DECIDED ON THAT I WANT TO JUST DUE A VORTEC HEAD SWAP ON MY TBI 350

I KNOW DOING ANY PRJECT TAKE HARD WORK RESEARCH AND KNOWLEDGE

 

LAY OFF THE CAPS LOCK!!111ONE!!1

Too be honest, you sound like a 14 year old who just got the car and can't even drive it. Now, sitting here thanking us for paying your paycheck as you sit your little pretty boy queer *** on a boat.... That doesn't get you brownie points.

Troller?

 

It tech does make you a dreamer. A simple google search would of come up of the combo which has been done before and you could of based your decision off that.

At the end of the day this project thats sitting will have met its owners goals way before yours. Before this goes even more off topic. It seems you made your choice, next time check out the Swap section and see what everyone is doing. It gives a pretty good idea of whats good these days..

 

actually never been on a boat ever only been station with marines
Ima you should google it FMF Corpsman !

 

yes i have done that search google ls1tech google etc all i wanted was peoples opinions on there setup with ls truck motor using tbi setup that they run thats all.. im not looking for a combo.. and ive search it not alot of people run that setup because the do a full swap to ls truck efi or use carb

 

the issue is that its not worth trying to put a tbi system on a gen III/IV motor; its completely counterproductive.

1. the stock LSx fuel system is light years more advanced; better tuning, less wasted gas, better mixing, so on and so forth. more accurate timing adjustment, individual coil packs, flash programming

2. tbi requires a distributor, something not equipped on the lsx motors. in order to add one, you'd have to spend $500+ for an aftermarket timing cover, plus the cost of the ford distributor (no stock gm distro works), plus have to figure out how to get the correct signal from the distributor to something the pcm could use

you'd actually spend more money and time trying to keep tbi then you would using the far more advanced lsx setup.

 

Yesssssir. Nicely said.

355 TBI > LSX with tbi ??????? huh

 

I just realized something... did the OP mean LS1 by 5.7?

 

ya thats what i thought, tbi is what he had and wanted to know differences between 5.3l, 5.7ls1 and 6.0l.

my 2 cents, ive been looking into something along the lines of this also and what i have found, is that the ls1 is overrated for the price, and 5.3 and 6l are cheap and only a couple hundred in price difference at best.

5.3 and 6.0l are mostly iron blocks and if your going for high horse iron is good ($500-900 5.3 or $600-1200 6.0)
5.7 ls1 alum block but only good to 600hp or so ($1000+)

what id suggest is a 6l block, with 5.3 heads and ls1 or ls6 intake, and maybe an ls6 cam maybe hot depending if thats too much idle for you. thatd be best bang for the buck imo...

 

MSD makes a box that controls the factory individual coils and allows you to throw on the carb manifold for a lsx and run in that way. Basically plug and play. Look up MSD 6LS box for the gen III motors.

 

From what the op described, sounds like a mild 383 would work out fine. He should check out a GM HT383.